TASTEFUL, CONSERVATIVE interiors are standard in many semi-custom yachts.

Renaissance at Sea
Owners of custom superyachts are a breed apart, says David Darwent, president of Marine Construction Services in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Darwent, who has managed a half-dozen new megayacht projects in the last 10 years, divides the yacht world into creators and consumers. Creators, he says, are similar to Renaissance cathedral builders. “These big yachts have everything to do with passion and personal expression, and not much to do with utility. I used to see them the way the popular press paints them—as extreme indulgences. But I don’t anymore. They really are works of art.”

Clients who commission their own yachts sit at the pinnacle of the boat-buying pyramid, a small minority who revel in the design and construction processes without worrying about the added expense. “The custom project can end up being 10- to 15-percent higher than the contract price,” notes Gilbert. “The owner is paying for his own interior designers, naval architect and captain to oversee the project, beyond what he’s paying the shipyard. It’s a small cottage industry to build a large custom yacht.”